ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI AT THE CONCLUSION OF A PRIVATE SCREENING OF THE FILM "THE PILGRIM DRESSED IN WHITE"

Consistory Hall Saturday, 9 April 2011

Your Eminences, Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to address a cordial greeting and my warm thanks to the producers and to those who have made this documentary on Venerable Pope John Paul II. I am glad to have seen it here in the Vatican and I express my deep appreciation of your work producing the film, joining in the applause already expressed by the Polish Bishops’ Conference and by some of my co-workers.

Because of its serious approach this film ranks among the most effective contributions offered to the public on the occasion of my Predecessor’s upcoming Beatification.

There is a wealth of audiovisual material on John Paul II, including various documentaries produced by television broadcasting stations. In the case of this film Jan Paweł II. Szukałem Was [The Pilgrim Dressed in White], various elements, for example, interviews with close collaborators, accounts of famous figures and the abundance of documentation make it stand out in the panorama of others.

All these elements aim to faithfully highlight both the personality of the Pope and his tireless action throughout his long Pontificate.

I would like once again to emphasize the two pillars of his life and ministry: prayer and missionary zeal. John Paul II was a great contemplative and a great apostle of Christ. God chose him for the Chair of Peter, where he remained for a long time ushering the Church into the third millennium. He guided all of us on this pilgrimage by his example, and now continues from Heaven to be with us.

I therefore thank all those who have collaborated in making this film which helps us to treasure the luminous witness of Pope John Paul II. With this sentiment of gratitude, I warmly bless all of you and your loved ones.